Canadian natives working hard make themselves endearing

[TithonusSyndrome]

Who wouldn't love the resident national nuisance kvetching for MORE money?

Manitoba chiefs want cellphone revenue
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | 10:41 AM ET
CBC News

Manitoba First Nations are seeking compensation from Manitoba Telecom Services for every cellphone signal that passes through First Nations land, saying the airspace should be considered a resource like land and water.

'When it comes to using airspace, it's like using our water and simply because there's no precedent doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do.'—Ovide Mercredi, Grand Rapids First Nation

At a recent economic development summit, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs resolved to negotiate revenue sharing with MTS for transmissions signals that cross the land, water and air space of their reserves and traditional territories.

"[The request is] based on the understanding that we do have some fundamental rights as indigenous people to land, water and airspace," said Chief Ovide Mercredi of the Grand Rapids First Nation.

"When it comes to using airspace, it's like using our water and simply because there's no precedent doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do," he said.

Mercredi says that signals over a significant area of the province would be affected, noting that the Cree Nations claim rights to a large portion of the north.

Proposal may inspire more negotiations

Anna Hunter, a University of Saskatchewan professor of political studies specializing in aboriginal governance, says the AMC's request is unique but she says other First Nations groups across the country will likely follow suit.

"On a provincewide basis, this is definitely an innovative approach but I think it's an approach that other provinces' First Nations groups will probably take forward," she said.

MTS officials have declined to comment on the issue until they see the group's proposal.

This could've only been an attempt to make themselves look stupider, because I can't take this seriously. Every time I read the story I imagine it being announced by a DJ at Brocket 99.

[Hawkwings]

Demand payments for letting countries use Canadian Space-space! That's right, for every satellite that passes overhead, you owe us money!

[Darth Wong]

Blacks and Natives: two groups working hard to perpetuate the welfare dependency of their own ethnicities for all time.

Seriously, how can one expect the young people of these ethnicities to develop a healthy attitude toward work when they see their so-called "community leaders" spending 100% of their time trying to find ways to swindle or extort money rather than earning it?

[Temjin]

This is a brilliant move. If MTS says yes (not very likely), they get more free money. If MTS says no, they get to complain that this is just another case of the White Man™ exploiting their land, potentially scoring sympathy points and more free money.

And as an aside, it really pisses me off that they're going after MTS. I use them for my telephone service, my television service, and my internet service. They're great in all respects. And as I later found out when I phoned their tech support, they don't have a bandwidth limit (well, they do, but they don't enforce it) and I can basically download whatever the hell I want and they don't care (seriously, he might not have used those words, but that's what he was implying).

[neoolong]

So if it's AIRspace, does that mean he wants revenue if you breath air that might have come from that area?

Hell, I want in on this racket.

[Dillon]

I don't understand how they can continue to be considered semi-sovereign with all the welfare money they get. Is that supposed to foreign aid or something?

Do they ever think about the benefits they have now as a result of European colonization. Like all the technology?

Abolishing the sovereign status of the reserves is the only way to stop this.

[Starglider]

I hope the company triples the price of calls made to and from phones inside the reservation to compensate.

[Darth Servo]

Someone point out to this fucktard that cellphone signals passing through the atmosphere above the reservation do NOT result in losses or harm to their community the way depriving them of land and water do.